


A Tangled Web

by Writcraft



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Dark, Dubious Consent, M/M, Mindfuck, Non Consensual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-14
Updated: 2013-03-14
Packaged: 2017-12-05 07:07:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/720243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writcraft/pseuds/Writcraft
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Infatuation turns to obsession; he knows it’s unhealthy, but he can’t stop. Written for the Bring Back the Bastard Severus-centric fest on Livejournal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tangled Web

Severus Snape was thirty one years of age when he first saw Harry Potter. The sight of the boy made his knuckles clench into white fists and he tried to school his face into an expression of boredom as his nails dug into the palms of his hands, hard enough to leave crescents in the skin.

The boy was just like his father.

Severus took in Potter’s glasses, his crooked smile and the adulation of those gathered around him and allowed himself a small sneer.

_Potter._

In that one moment, Severus was taken back to when he himself had started Hogwarts, the sights and smells of the school corridors, the feeling of walking along with one’s head down to avoid being jostled or singled out. 

He closed his eyes and remembered it all.

The sound of Black laughing, that loud bark, the cocksure swagger and the lean, firm lines of Black’s body which both sickened and excited Severus in equal measure. He hadn’t known what to do about it all then, when Potter and Black had rounded on him, taking his dignity and stripping it away piece by piece. He remembered shrinking back from the heat of their bodies, hating them with the kind of furious rage that burned in his stomach and consumed his whole being.

That night, when he was barely fourteen years old, he had wanked himself raw in the darkness of his room until he came to lonely completion, the climax barely satisfying and the images in his head horrifying. 

_Potter._

Severus found himself energised as he hadn’t been in some time, as he waited for his first class with the boy. He was quite determined to take every step to terrify Potter, folding his robes around himself and speaking in his silkiest tones. He watched as Potter scratched his quill and doodled on his parchment in blissful ignorance.

The younger Potter seemed to think himself above everybody else, just as his father had before him. That much was painfully apparent. Severus smirked as he swept towards Potter, reaching his hand onto the table to snap the boy’s book closed, enjoying how he jumped.

Potter’s father had made Severus’ life a misery. Now Severus intended to bestow the same courtesy onto his son.

OoooOOoooO

Severus was thirty five when the Hufflepuff boy died.

He had seen Potter return with the trophy clutched in his hand, fear and pain etched onto his face. As the crowd cheered, Severus had pushed through, nearly tripping in his urgent need to get to the boy.

_Fools!_

It should have been apparent to anyone that Potter was not behaving as a victor might, prancing about with his trophy and holding it aloft. Instead Potter was hunched over the body of Diggory, holding onto him as if he had nowhere else to go. When Severus reached them, he saw Diggory’s glassy stare, his face upturned to the sky, his body unflinching on the wet, cold earth.

Star gazing.

“Get away from the boy. Give him space.”

“My son, let me through to see my son! He’s alright, isn’t he? Oh gods, tell me he’s alright.”

The desperate howl which followed had made Severus shiver and flinch away.

Potter continued to scrabble at dead skin, his breath coming in heaving, ragged gulps. Diggory’s father pushed Potter to one side and he looked around wildly. His hair was shaggy and his face streaked with dirt, sweat, blood and tears. His eyes met Severus’ own before he was pulled away and Severus found himself mesmerised by the sight of them.   
Wide, desperate and _green_. 

It was then, that Severus saw someone other than the boy who had tormented him at school. In that desperate gaze he saw something of Potter’s mother and understood the tenuous grip the boy had on his own emotions as he continued to cling to the cold hand of the dead.

Severus tore his gaze away from Potter and stood, his eyes sweeping the crowd as he looked for signs of something amiss. 

“Albus, he is taking the boy.” Severus jerked his head towards Alastor and Potter who moved steadily into the distance.

“So it would seem.” Albus nodded to Severus and moved swiftly after the figures as they continued their path to the castle. 

Severus clutched his forearm as he gritted his teeth and moved his eyes steadily over the crowd of screaming children once more, demanding order with a rough bark.

Now was not the time for sentimentality and tears.

Another war was upon them.

OoooOOoooO

It was the following school year when Albus called upon Severus to train Potter in Occlumency.

Severus pretended the very idea was abhorrent to him as he secretly crowed with delight at the thought of the license he had been given to explore Potter’s mind. He prepared his classroom well that day, ensuring he had laid out a number of his most macabre jars of potions ingredients, all arranged fastidiously to sit just at the boy’s eye level.

“Professor?”

Severus turned to the door, keeping his gaze cool as he took in the sullen, sulky pout, marring Potter’s face.

“Potter,” he replied, his face carefully masked as he assumed an air of boredom. “You’re late.”

“Only by a minute or two,” Potter scowled and stepped past Severus as he shrugged off his outer robes and dropped them onto a nearby chair. “I suppose you’ll want to get started, then?”

“I was ready to _get started_ ten minutes ago. Do not presume to come into my classroom late and waste my time. Ten points from Gryffindor.” 

“That’s not fair!” Severus watched Potter’s face turn red with barely repressed anger and he couldn’t help but smirk a little at the sight. An angry Potter was really too entertaining for words. It was simply too easy to rile the boy.

“I will decide what is fair and what is not when you are under my tutelage. It is quite acceptable to take points from students who are tardy and insolent, now sit!” Severus pulled out a chair and enjoyed the way the scrape of the legs on the wooden floor made Potter flinch.

“It’s bloody unfair and you know it.”

Severus had turned his back to Potter and heard the boy mutter under his breath, but he chose to ignore it. It wouldn’t do to have him running back to Albus and complaining about poor treatment in the early stages of his tuition. Severus had much to learn about Potter before he could allow this pointless endeavour to come to an end.

He allowed the boy to settle, watching Potter as he shuffled in his seat and eyed Severus warily. He held Potter’s gaze for a long moment and tested the barriers of his mind, letting out a soft snort as he did so. It was little wonder the Dark Lord had been so readily able to penetrate the boy’s defences which were weak and malleable.

“What do I have to do, then?”

Severus advanced towards Potter with a flourish of his robes that always seemed to frighten the younger students and pressed his wand to Potter’s temple. Such an invasion of personal space was hardly necessary for a skilled Legillimens such as himself, yet he delighted in the impact his proximity seemed to have on Potter. He sneered and watched the expressions which crossed the boy’s face. 

“You need to try to resist. That is all.”

Severus called out the spell in a clear voice which made Potter jump and tried to keep his own emotions under control as he pressed hard into the boy’s mind. The uninvited violation of his most personal thoughts made Potter cry out with fury as he jerked back from the wand against his head and tried to avert his gaze.

Severus pretended to see only the awkward fumbling kiss with the Ravenclaw Quidditch player as he rifled through the deepest, darkest parts of Potter’s mind. Despite himself, he felt his body react to the ragged pants from the boy and the unmistakable sounds of the slapping of a palm against a hard cock and firm stomach which Severus could see in the recesses of Potter’s mind. 

Severus allowed himself the luxury of watching what Potter did when he abused himself in the shadows of his dormitory, taking in the images which Potter kept hidden from the rest of the world for those private moments. 

_Men._

The men varied in shape and form – some slim and blond, others dark haired and faceless – and Severus wondered at the crueller sort of lover who also appeared alongside the smiling, handsome faces of the elder Weasley boys who also made a fleeting appearance. Sometimes they appeared on their knees – sucking, their cheeks hollowed, as they slid their hands over Potter’s arse and kneaded it, their fingers questing further to the most private of places. In other fantasies, Potter was fucked by a strong body, pressing him hard against a stone wall in a room full of darkness and shadows. In each of the fantasies, as different as they were, Potter’s pleasure was palpable, and Severus felt his own interest begin to stir as he watched the kinds of scenes he remembered conjuring up in the darkness of his dormitory when he had been Potter’s age.

With a gasp Potter fought back, the push-pull of mind control almost arousing to Severus, until Potter finally forced his way into Severus’ own mind. With a growl, before the boy could see any of his own desires, Severus pushed back, slamming up a wall so the boy could no longer penetrate his innermost thoughts.

“That’s _private!_ ” Potter spat out the words, his forehead damp with perspiration, his breath coming in the same sort of pants that Severus had heard from Potter when he had pressed into his mind.

“Not to me.” Severus gave Potter his best smirk and pressed his face close to the boy. Potter’s breath smelt like chocolate frogs and pumpkin juice. “Not anymore.”

“I hate you.”

Severus hummed in response and pressed his wand against Potter’s temple as he gave the boy a slow smile.

“Again.”

OoooOOoooO

It was at some point during Potter’s sixth year at Hogwarts that Severus first allowed himself to entertain any sexual fantasies about the boy. He had taken the Unbreakable Vow at the behest of Narcissa Malfoy and felt quite certain if he didn’t die this year, his death was imminent. He supposed he might as well enjoy certain depravities while he was still alive.

Potter was different that year. There was a hint of darkness to the boy which had doubtless come about as a result of his losing Black. Potter had grown a little, his chin now darkened with the first light hints of stubble, and his eyes held a grim determination. 

When Severus imagined a liaison with Potter, his own body was lithe and young again, without the scars of the beatings he had received as a child and later, as an adult. He pictured his younger self with the kind of soft edges one gave themselves in dreams, his body lean as opposed to scrawny, his nose slimmer and more in proportion with the rest of his face and his hair free from the oils of puberty. To imagine himself – as he was now – with a boy of Potter’s age was ludicrous. 

Severus wondered what Potter would have made of his younger self, assuming his younger self was wise with the knowledge acquired by his adult self. In the darkness of his room, his body slick with sweat, he slid his hands under the simple cotton sheets. In Severus’ mind, Potter liked the Half Blood Prince well enough to allow him all sorts of liberties with his body. As he stroked himself and closed his eyes against the sights of his bed chamber – which jarred him from his imaginings – Severus could almost hear the needy cries that would spill from Potter’s lips. He imagined how Potter might beg to be filled like a wanton little whore beneath Severus’ hands, which would grip the young body tightly through the boy’s trembling desires. 

_Relax, Harry._

Severus knew exactly what Potter would like. He felt quite sure that Potter required a firm but gentle touch. There would be none of the awkward fumbling Severus himself had experienced during his own first time, his virginity ripped from him with a little spittle for lubrication and a rough hand in his hair forcing his head against the wall. Severus had been left to wank himself to completion long after his so called partner had found his own release.

There would be none of that for Potter. 

Severus could hardly bring himself to imagine a candlelit room and whispered words of love, as even in his fantasies they were far removed from anything Severus desired. Instead he found himself thinking of taking Potter roughly but with the knowledge of a competent lover, bringing him to the brink of pleasure with cunning tricks and twists of his hand, just so. Severus pictured Potter writhing under him and positively _begging_ for more, his lips swollen from biting kisses.

Yes, Severus could imagine _just_ what Potter would like.

_Sectumsempra._

That had been an interesting twist.

It seemed that Potter’s fascination with the Half Blood Prince had not simply been a figment of Severus’ imagination after all. As Severus imagined the boy’s tight heat around him, he pictured the book - _his_ book – clutched in Potter’s hand, and imagined for one moment that his fantasies had come true. 

He came with a cry and smiled at the thought. 

When Severus finally saw the boy jerk and tremble at his feet, it was rather different to how he imagined. Instead of seeing Potter’s face alive with pleasure, Severus watched his mouth contort in a grimace of pain as he shuddered under the after effects of _Cruciatus._ Potter had tried to fight - valiantly, if ineffectively - like the noble, lion-hearted fool he was. Severus was quite sure he had made the boy hate him that year, perhaps more than Potter hated Severus already. But Severus knew better than anyone that hatred was preferable to indifference. 

The boy cared enough to _feel_ when he saw Severus and for now, that would have to suffice.

OoooOOoooO

Severus fully expected to die at the end of it all. He still hadn’t reached his forties but then he hadn’t much expected to, given his precarious position at the Dark Lord’s right hand. When the snake moved towards him, he barely bothered to raise his hands as the fangs sank into his flesh and the poison moved through his body.  
Severus could hear the sound of Potter, urgent in his ear as the warmth of his own blood covered his neck and his collarbone. He felt a hot hand in his own and forced his eyes open so that he could see Potter’s face.

The Antivenin in his veins might be just enough, Severus reasoned. It was possible he might survive to tell his tale, but if he did not he was determined to die a hero’s death. 

Severus had to concentrate very hard on that, as he selected a few choice memories through the numbing pain ravaging his body.

Severus hoped the boy did not know him well enough to spot what others had missed when he looked through Severus’ memories. 

His conversation with Albus should prove to be useful in the event of any future trial Severus might have to endure, either as one of the living or one of the many dead. He hoped that Potter would be too busy with his own battles to pay too much heed to the way Severus flinched back when Albus had accused him of caring for the boy. That had been a secret Severus was quite sure he had kept well hidden. When Albus had confronted him about his feelings, the truth had hit rather too close to home and Severus had reacted with force, spitting out his words and insisting that his efforts had always been for Lily. Those memories were useful ones nevertheless and they suited his purpose as he shared them with Potter.

It had been so easy to fool those who cared into thinking Severus was desperately in love with Lily Evans. The doe had been useful in supporting that assertion and nobody seemed to give it much thought, accepting what they understood to be the facts and never delving any deeper into Severus’ own proclivities. _Love_ was not something Severus believed in, despite the many times Albus spoke of its importance. Severus had cared for his mother, he had hated his father and Lily had been the closest thing to a friend he had ever had. Theirs was hardly the romantic sort of love that made people simper over one another, but the very fact that Lily had relieved in part some of the misery of his childhood had made her important - important enough to risk his life for, when the time came.

Nobody considered for one moment that there might be another reason why Severus produced a Patronus which would be the natural mate for a stag. It surprised many that Severus had enough happy memories to even conjure a Patronus at all. Severus never relied on his actual memories to conjure his Patronus, as any attempt to do so resulted in the sort of non-corporeal form produced by less powerful wizards. Instead, he used his fantasies, a rather horrifying number of which had revolved around Potter – James Potter. 

James Potter may have hated him, but for Severus, he had always held a peculiar fascination. The cocksure grin that incited so much hatred in Severus had also become part of his darkest fantasies. He dreamed of possible scenarios when James would realise his mistakes and Severus would reject him soundly. Some nights he took his pleasure from the idea of James underneath him, moaning Severus’ name as he was fucked into submission and compliance. On other occasions, Severus took pleasure from the idea of James simply not _being_ there anymore, so this ridiculous infatuation could be laid to rest, once and for all.

Severus supposed that was why he did what he had, in the end. He had found himself perusing the papers, filled with page upon page of Potter and his cohorts, a shining beacon for the other side. Consumed with rage and frustration, when he had happened upon some news which could make his darkest of desires a reality, Severus had told the Dark Lord what he needed to know. 

As he slipped from consciousness, Severus could see in Potter’s eyes _something_ which spoke of a possible future, if Severus could only hold on for long enough to survive the damned war. The boy appeared to be weeping for him, after all.

James Potter.

The thought of the arrogant teenager Severus had once fantasised about made his lips tug into a smile as he closed his eyes, teetering on the edge of life and death. There was no doubt in his mind, which Potter was the better man. 

Perhaps it had been intended this way all along.

OoooOOoooO

Severus survived and life continued to be as miserable as he supposed death would likely have been. He lived in relative solitude and attended only those events which were essential to keeping his independent potions business successful.

The latest Ministry Ball had been as dull as Severus had anticipated. He had watched Lucius Malfoy attempt to ingratiate himself with society once more and found the whole display too distasteful for words. After his third glass of cheap sparkling wine, he had made his way outside into the shadows for some fresh air.

As he wandered through the grounds he had heard a familiar groan, the kind of sound Potter sometimes made when Severus imagined him being manipulated at his own hand, a needy, half-strangled moan. Severus moved back into the shadows and slipped quietly around the edges of the maze, until he saw Potter, clinging onto another man, kissing him with reckless abandon.

Severus clutched at the wand in his pocket and forced himself to bite back the growl of fury which he felt rising as he watched Potter behaving like such a wanton hussy only a few feet from the rest of the party. 

He watched with a macabre fascination as Potter slipped silently onto his knees and pulled at the man’s trousers, releasing a hard cock and moving a tentative hand along the shaft. Despite the bile rising in his throat Severus continued to watch, as he saw how Potter’s lips, plump and red, wrapped around the slim cock. He continued to watch as the man’s cock slid in and out of Potter’s mouth with the shallow, desperate thrusts of an inexperienced lover. 

“ _Good._ Fuck, _yes_ Harry, just like that.” 

Severus forced himself to look up into his godson’s face, blissful in its ignorance as he enjoyed Potter’s ministrations.

Severus had always been something of a masochist when it came to the Potter family but tonight, he had seen enough.

He turned away to slip into the darkness as the stifled cries echoed in his mind. Severus stopped once, on his way back to the party, to retch into the bushes, his vomit tasting like sweet champagne.

He drew his robes around himself as a cold, bitter fury welled within the pit of his stomach, an icy hand gripping onto his heart.

_Soon._

Severus would just have to bide his time.

OoooOOoooO

Severus was forty one when he first fucked Harry Potter.

The boy trembled and arched beneath him, wide-eyed and nervous about experiencing penetrative sex for the first time, although Severus had made sure the boy was well prepared.

“ _Draco!_ ” Potter cried out the name as he came to a shaking completion and clenched around Severus. His arousal was a dull roar in his ears when Severus finally came, deep inside Harry, his senses filled with the boy.

A while later, sated and content, they lay together in the cool room of Potter’s small flat. Severus remembered the look on Harry’s face when he had opened the door to him. It was fortunate that Severus had access to Draco’s home - to the brushes he used and the clothing he wore - which gave Severus sufficient quantities of hair to brew a reasonable stock of Polyjuice. 

“I didn’t think you would ever come back. It was like you just disappeared.”

“I wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.” Severus dipped his voice, the smooth, cultured tones of Draco sounding strange to his own ears. “I’m back now.”

“You’ll stay with me?”

Severus paused in his response. He would need to get more Polyjuice, naturally, and he would have to ensure Draco didn’t come back in the near future. He had taken great care to ensure Draco would travel for a long time. He had impressed upon him the importance of keeping himself hidden from society under the pretence of a white knight avenging past wrongs who was targeting the Death Eaters to pick them off, one by one.

"I believe it would be wise to take your leave of our world, under the circumstances. It would not do to call attention to yourself so soon after the war, given your father's role as such a high profile lieutenant of the Dark Lord"

“You think I’m in danger?” Draco had looked frightened and Severus had nodded gravely.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Then I must leave….”

“Immediately.”

“But…Harry?” Draco looked at Severus, his eyes wide as he pleaded with him, reaching for Severus’ hand and clutching it hard in his own. Severus had probed Draco for information about the boy after that night at the Ministry and he had soon established that a tentative relationship between the two men had flourished over the past six months. “Can I see him at least, before I leave?”

“Absolutely out of the question,” Severus shook his head and squeezed Draco’s hand. “I will look after the boy, I can pass on any message you wish.”

Draco looked down at his hands and swallowed thickly. “Tell him I love him, and that’s I’ll miss him – that I already miss him.”

“Very well.” 

“Aren’t you going to be in danger?” Draco looked shrewdly at Severus for a moment, his eyes cool and his expression neutral as he studied Severus.

“It is possible, although the press has made my role in the war clear to the public. My concern for you is due to the connection with your father.” Severus responded smoothly and watched Draco’s brow furrow before he nodded in slow acceptance.

“Severus?” The same look - cool and shrewd.

“Yes?” Severus kept his composure and waited for Draco to speak, wondering at the strange hesitation in his voice.

“Harry…” Draco looked away for a moment. “You wouldn’t be…you’re not…” Draco trailed off and then shook his head with a brittle laugh. “Never mind, I’m being ridiculous.”

“Indeed.” With an arched eyebrow, Severus considered what might have been left unspoken. He would have to tread carefully with Draco.

When they had finished their discussion, Severus had held out his hand for the keys to Draco’s home, assuring him he would look after it in Draco’s absence. He had waited for Draco to step into the Floo and watched the remaining tendrils of green form patterns in the air. He left it a reasonable length of time afterwards before deciding to visit Harry, as he wished to be sure Draco would not return on a whim. 

He had only intended to take one night of pleasure with Potter. Now he had taken the boy once, Severus found himself yearning for more and the very thought of Potter with somebody else made Severus’ skin crawl.

“You’re very serious tonight. What are you thinking?” Harry had rolled onto his side and looked at Severus, as he brushed some of the blond, silky hair off his forehead. 

“I’m thinking how much I missed you, when I was away.” Severus found the words sounded simpering and pathetic to his ears but he had to remember this was _Draco_ and he had made a promise to his godson, after all. Despite himself he couldn’t quite bring himself to pass on the rest of Draco’s message. Wearing another man’s face did not alter his own reticence to offer his heart so freely for rejection.

Harry’s eyes softened at the words and he kissed Severus until he felt his breath leave him.

“I missed you too, you prat. So bloody much. Don’t leave again because I don’t think I could bear it.”

Severus smiled at Harry and enjoyed the way the smile lit up Harry’s face, wondering how Harry would react to Severus’ own half-sneer. “I won’t.” He pulled Harry into his arms and kissed the messy shock of black hair, feeling the boy relax against him with a contented sigh.

He would have to visit Draco again soon. Perhaps he would need to ensure some harm befell one of the other Death Eaters – Avery or Mulciber were both dispensable and deserved more than imprisonment for their crimes in any event. The press should be sufficient to ensure Draco did not make any attempts to return or to contact Harry. 

“Draco?”

“Hm?” It took Severus a moment to reply, so unused was he to responding to a name other than his own.

“You didn’t leave because of the thing we argued about, did you?”

Severus stilled his hand which he had been running over Harry’s back, and kept his response carefully measured. “We’re always arguing, Potter – or at least we used to. I would hardly have left because of that.” 

Harry laughed at the response and trailed his hand down Severus’ chest, causing him to arch a little into the touch. “I know, but you are close to Snape – Severus, I mean – I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

Severus swallowed, his throat suddenly dry at the sound of his own name falling from Harry’s lips. He took another moment to consider his response before he turned to face Harry, wondering if with a gentle push he might be able to press into Potter’s mind undetected. 

“I confess I was….unhappy, when you suggested that perhaps…” Severus trailed off and feigned a careless shrug, wondering if Potter might fill in the unspoken blanks.

“Perhaps I might have had a bit of a _thing_ for him?” Harry groaned and dropped his head into Severus’ neck. “I’m so sorry. I’m a right prat for even saying it. You were just going on about that other bloke and I _know_ you were trying to make me jealous, but I suppose I wanted to do the same to you.”

“I see.” Severus felt disconnected from the voices in the room, a hot flash of heat pooling in his stomach. “So there was no truth to it?” Severus tugged at Harry’s hair to pull his face back and cupped the boy’s cheek in his hand as his heart hammered.

“Well of course there was,” Harry frowned at Severus and wrinkled his nose. “We talked about all of this before you went away.” He smiled brightly and leaned in to kiss Severus lightly. “But it doesn’t really matter, does it? Having a couple of silly fantasies about someone hardly makes it _real_. Besides, I had plenty of fantasies about you too – as you’ve made me tell you often enough.” Harry fell back against the pillows and grinned up at the ceiling as he took Severus’ hand. “This - this is real - this is what I’ve always wanted.”

Severus squeezed Harry’s hand and turned onto his own back as he stared at a spot on the ceiling. Everything in the room seemed louder and brighter and he found himself struggling with his own breathing as he lay as still as he could to avoid alerting the boy to anything amiss. Potter had thought about Severus, just as Severus had thought about Potter. The thought made his body clench with the knowledge of an opportunity missed.

He could tell Harry the truth, of course, but the very idea was insupportable. He had taken the boy’s virginity wearing another man’s face. Despite Harry’s suggestions that he had entertained some foolish notion about Severus, he was quite sure the reality of being with a bitter, unattractive man with little wealth or social standing would be abhorrent to the boy. He imagined Harry laughing with surprise at any suggestion of a _romance_ and he scowled at the thought of it. He could not allow himself to be so exposed to rejection.

Nonetheless, the idea might be more palatable to the boy if he were vulnerable. Severus pondered the possibility of Draco leaving once again. To be left a second time without word would likely render Harry inconsolable and Severus could use that to his advantage, offering Potter a shoulder to cry on. He snorted lightly at the notion which was as foolish as the suggestion that the boy might forgive Severus if he knew what he had done. Severus was not a man who offered someone _comfort_ in times of distress. Besides, if he took that chance then it would be unlikely Harry would ever go back to Draco and Severus would have no further access to the boy.

“This is real.” Severus agreed, as he squeezed Harry’s hand again in his own, before he turned to look at him. “Although there is nothing wrong with exploring fantasies, Harry….a little role play, or perhaps even experimenting with Polyjuice.” Severus gave Harry one of Draco’s best innocent smiles as Harry turned to gape at him.

“Don’t be daft, that’s a stupid idea. You wouldn’t want to do that.” Harry flushed and looked nervous. “Unless…is it that you want me to be someone else sometimes?”

“No.” Severus pulled Harry back against his chest and slid his hand through Harry’s hair, playing with the inky strands as he tried to find Draco’s voice once more. “I just thought it might be fun.”

“Perhaps,” Harry agreed. Severus thought he didn’t sound entirely convinced. “But let’s not think about that now – tonight I just want to be you and me.”

Severus closed his eyes as his mind whirred with the latest revelation. He held Harry tighter as he gave a curt nod. He remembered Draco’s question to him before he had left and felt strangely ill. The revelation from Potter changed everything. If Draco was aware of any affection – however unrealistic – which Potter harboured towards Severus, he would be alive to their interactions and he was doubtless want to be sure that Severus had no interest in the boy himself. 

“Close your eyes, Harry.” Severus breathed out the words and watched the look of confusion cross Harry’s face before he closed his eyes, a smile on his lips. Severus cast a light stunning spell and then wove his hand over Harry, teasing and manipulating his mind to remove all memories of this encounter. He stood, while Harry was still stunned and looked around the room, flicking his hand to clean the sheets and collecting every trace of his visit before leaving the flat.

He moved through the streets until he found somewhere quiet enough to Apparate home, where he took the potion required to reverse the effects of Polyjuice and slipped back into his usual robes. With a crack of magic, Severus Apparated back to the street by Potter’s flat and walked slowly, planning his next move until he reached the door and rapped on it.

“Just a minute,” Harry opened the door after a moment and looked at Severus, somewhat confused. “Professor?” He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned, before stepping to one side. “I’m sorry, I was sleeping. Come in.”

“It is eight thirty in the evening, Potter – I would have thought it a little early for sleeping.” Severus moved into the flat and looked around as if he was unsure of his surroundings, despite having been there just moments before. “I expected something larger for our distinguished war hero.”

“Oh sod off.” Potter laughed and Severus delighted in the sound of it. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Oh…” Severus paused and turned to Harry, giving him a slow smirk. “I am simply enquiring after your health. Is that so very shocking to you?”

“Well…yes.” Harry frowned again and then shrugged, a smile spreading across his face. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Firewhisky, if you have it.” Severus nodded and settled himself on the sofa, noticing every movement the boy made.

“Alright.” Harry rustled about in a cupboard and Severus admired his lean form, accentuated by fitted jeans and a t-shirt. He must have pulled those on quickly after Severus had left, when he had woken. Harry produced a bottle with a relieved sort of sound and reached for two glasses. Severus watched as he stilled for a moment, seeing how Harry clutched the kitchen work surface as if to steady himself. “It’s good to see you, Professor.”

Severus crossed his legs at the ankle, quite sure that Potter must never find out about his duplicity, convinced that he had covered all bases, provided he continued to keep Draco away for long enough to allow his new plan to work. 

He responded to Harry with a quiet hum of agreement.

“I have not been your professor for a long time. Severus should do just fine.”

When Harry turned and bestowed him with a smile, Severus was quite sure his manipulations had been warranted.

“Severus…” Harry handed Severus a glass and sat next to him on the sofa, close enough for Severus to feel the heat of the boy’s body against his own. 

It was better this way, Severus was sure of it. He would take his time with Harry and now he had enough insight to know just what Potter craved from a lover. 

As Severus clinked his glass with Harry’s and shifted close enough to make Harry blush, he leaned back in the sofa contentedly. If this didn’t work he still had ample Polyjuice to bring Draco back, he would simply have to think through his plan a little more carefully to ensure all loose ends were tied up.

For the first time in his life everything was working out just like he wanted.

Severus only hoped it would last.

_~Fin~_


End file.
